


That’s What Matters

by only_love_can



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies)
Genre: Angst, But His Dad Still Loves Him, Hurt/Comfort, Mentions of Character Death, Mild Blood, One Shot, Peter Parker Messed Up, Peter Parker Needs a Hug, Protective Tony Stark, Self-Indulgent, Tony Stark Has A Heart
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-01
Updated: 2020-08-01
Packaged: 2021-03-06 02:28:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,661
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25655908
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/only_love_can/pseuds/only_love_can
Summary: Tony expected Peter to be out on patrol that night. It was a Friday, the weather was perfect, and ATM robberies seemed to be on the rise lately. Tony had no doubt that Spider-Man would be on the case.What he didn’t expect was to get a phone call from the hero himself.And that was only the first of many surprises that the night would bring him.
Comments: 3
Kudos: 20





	That’s What Matters

**Author's Note:**

> You know what would be a really cool thing to do when I’m in the middle of publishing a multiple-chapter fic? Write a crappy one-shot, of course! :’D
> 
> Anyways, I wrote this in the middle of the night, and I haven’t changed anything sooo...
> 
> I guess what I’m trying to say is I’m sorry.

Tony expected Peter to be out on patrol that night. The weather was perfect, so much so that he could even point out a few stars in the sky despite the midnight glow of Manhattan. It was a Friday, so there would be no school for the kid to wake up for in the morning. Plus, ATM robberies seemed to be on the rise lately, so Tony had no doubt that Spider-Man would be on the case.

What he didn’t expect was to get a phone call from the hero himself. Of course, Tony had encouraged Peter to call if he ever needed anything, but the latter never took him up on the deal. Tony was to the point where he firmly believed the kid was never going to call him.

So, he was more than a little surprised to see his name light up his screen in the middle of the night.

He dropped his forgotten work documents on his nightstand in savor of his phone. He answered immediately, barely noticing the way his hands shook with sudden anticipation.

“Pete? Aren’t you out on patrol? Did something go wrong?”

“I need help.” The voice on the other end was too small. Too wet and desperate to belong to the bouncing, bubbly teenager that Tony knew.

When he realized that he hadn’t yet responded, he said, “Okay. I’m tracking your location now.”

He threw himself out of bed and raced down the hall as he called for his suit. All the while, he had FRIDAY track down Peter’s coordinates.

“Found him,” she announced once he was in the lab, armor halfway on. “Mr. Parker is on a dead end alleyway on Mackintosh Street in Queens.”

“Set my flight path there, Fri. How are we holding up, kid? What kind of help are we talking?”

“Medical,” he replied urgently. “I need- God, I need help, Mr. Stark.”

“On my way, kiddo. ETA...”

“3 minutes, 45 seconds.”

“You heard her. I’ll be there in a flash, got it? I’ll be there soon, Spider-ling.”

xXx

When Tony arrived at the scene 3 and a half minutes later, he found the kid in the Spider-Man suit illuminated by the street lamp not far from the alley. He dropped down beside Peter, noting the way he was sagging, kneeling on the ground.

For his next surprise, he realized that Peter was in fact not alone. A man lie on the cement with his hands stuck down with webs. He was unconscious, and a bright line of blood trailed down his face, but Tony couldn’t find it in him to care at that moment. There were more important things to take care of first.

“I’m here.” He put his metal-covered hand on the kid’s shoulder. “FRIDAY? Secure the area. I want this alleyway closed off. Blackout all security cameras within a square mile while you’re at it.”

The Iron Man suit retracted and left Tony in the brisk night air. With the AI piloting, the armor flew at the end of the alley, standing on guard.

“I’m going to need you to take off the mask, kid. Just to make sure you’re okay.”

Peter turned to Tony, the eyes of the suit going wide. He shook his head ever so slightly, and Tony even wondered if he was imagining it.

“It’s fine, actually. I don’t need to take it off.” His voice was low and deliberately even.

“Pete, I need to know what’s wrong. You’re not going to make me have Karen tattle on you, are you?”

“No...” he shook his head again. “No, I’m fine. Really. It’s not me, it’s... I need you to help him. Mr. Stark, please. I need you’re help.”

Tony blinked. _Help him?_ Of course Peter wouldn’t call because _he_ was in danger. He called for someone else. How did he not guess?

He fidgeted with the watch on his wrist. A soft, blue light appeared, and Tony traced it over the man’s form from head to toe. Once he was done, he flipped his palm out as a holographic screen displayed the man’s injuries.

_SEVERAL CONTUSIONS AND LACERATIONS_

_DISLOCATED SHOULDER_

_FRACTURED SKULL_

Tony winced as he turned to Peter. “The list isn’t pretty. How about we take him to the Compound? Let him stay in the MedBay?”

“No,” Peter said too harshly. He cleared his throat. “I... I don’t think we should take him.”

Tony was beyond confused at this point. “I want to make sure there isn’t anything else wrong. With that head injury, there could be something wrong with this guy’s brain.”

A choked-out sob was released from Peter’s throat. His entire body began to shake, and Tony pulled him in closer to his chest.

_What the hell was going on?_

“Oh my god,” Peter cried, containing the sound as much as possible. “Oh my _god_.”

“Okay, I’m taking the mask off. Everything’s fine. I just need you to breathe.”

With that, Tony gently pulled the mask from Peter’s face, revealing the kid’s red-rimmed eyes and pale skin. He honestly didn’t look much better off than the man on the ground.

“I need you to be completely honest with me. Are you okay? You’re not hurt anywhere?”

“I’m fine...”

“You know your safety always comes first, right?”

Peter hummed in response.

“Okay. As long as you’re alright, then there’s the next order of business. What happened?”

Peter’s eyebrows scrunched up. “What do you mean?”

Tony glanced at the man and the webs that held him down. He looked back at Peter. “This. Here. What happened?”

“Well...” Peter sighed deeply, “I was patrolling in the area, and I heard screaming. So I came over here, and there was a mugging going on, so I webbed the guy up and, um...” he trailed off, his eyes suddenly trained on his feet.

“I’m assuming this is our mugger,” Tony asked, pointing at the web restraints. Peter nodded. “Well, he’ll be fine in the MedBay. I’ll have extra security measures put in place, but I really think—”

“No. He can’t go to the Compound.”

Tony sighed. “Kid, I appreciate the sense of heroism and all, but the Compound will be completely safe. Nothing could go wrong. You called for help, and this is how we help him.”

“I know, but...” Peter swallowed back another cry. “I don’t know what to do, Mr. Stark. I screwed up. God, I _really_ screwed up. I hurt him.”

“This was you?” Tony looked at the man. Peter only hiccuped in response. Taking another look at the injury list, Tony’s mind spun. _Peter,_ his _Peter, did this?_

“I swear I didn’t mean to. I mean, maybe I did? I don’t know. I... I didn’t want _this_ to happen! But, Mr. Stark, he can’t go to the Compound. I- I didn’t mean to.”

“Okay, I’m going to call for an ambulance to take him to a hospital. Sound good? No MedBay.”

Tony pulled Peter in, the kid’s back against his chest as he held him upright with both arms.

“First thing’s first. Breathe.” He drew in an exaggerated breath. Peter followed suit, his breath more wet and choppy, but it was a start. “There you go. Keep going. FRIDAY, call an ambulance. You’re doing great, Pete.”

This was a far cry from how Tony thought he was going to spend his night.

“Now,” he said softly after a minute, “what happened?”

Peter drew in another careful breath before starting. “I knew him,” he whispered.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. He, um... I recognized him, and I just... I lost my cool.”

Tony was almost afraid to ask. “Who is he?”

Peter sniffled, burying himself further into Tony’s hold. His voice was impossibly small when he spoke.“Have I ever told you about my uncle?”

No. He hadn’t, but Tony knew. It was one of the things that stood out to him in his search for the identity of Spider-Man.

The thought of it made him go tense. The image of a 13-year-old watching his uncle bleed out in a mugging-gone-wrong caught his breath.

“I know.”

“That was him.” For a moment, Peter’s words were disconnected and cold, sending a chill up Tony’s spine. “He killed my uncle. He was never found guilty. He wasn’t even tried.”

“Pete, I’m so sorry.” He was.

“I just saw his face, and I had to do something.” Fresh tears spilled on his cheeks, and Tony wiped a few with his thumb. “I punched, and I- I kicked, and I... I hurt him. I think I wanted kill him.”

Tony’s heart was ripped out of his chest. He knew that feeling, and it was something that he never, ever wanted for the kid. That hate and desperation and loss.

“What if I... I could have... oh god, what if I—”

“But you didn’t,” Tony said firmly yet lovingly. “That’s what matters. Did you kill him?”

“...what?”

“Did you kill him?”

“No?”

“No. You didn’t. Do you know what that means?”

Peter shook his head.

“It means you let go. You didn’t let it control you. You saw that what you were doing was wrong, and you fixed it. Are you sorry?”

He nodded with a sniff.

“And you’re not going to do it again?”

“No. No, never again,” he wept.

“Then the problem is solved.” Tony cocked his head so that he could look at the kid’s face. He put his thumb under Peter’s chin, turning his head so that their eyes met. “You’re an incredible person, Pete. You know that? And I forgive you.”

Peter wiggled around enough so that he could hug the man around him. He never thought he would be there—to the place where he could hug his mentor and cry his heart out in front of him. But when the embrace was returned with strong, confident arms, he couldn’t find the power to be embarrassed.

“Thank you,” Peter cried. Everything was going to be just fine with Tony by his side.

**Author's Note:**

> I got too tired for a good ending lol sorry


End file.
